Son of Poseidon
by sunkissedsins
Summary: A mixture of the Lightning Thief movie and book; with the ages of the movie, yet storyline of the book. There's also an addition of Jillian Walker, Luke's girlfriend and daughter of Apollo, who catches Percy's eye. Enjoy, R&R! Percy/O.C
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I just want to say, I do not own anything except for the character of Jillian Walker. In summary, it's the first Percy Jackson book, The Lightning Thief, with same characters, some of the same lines, however Jillian's character is incorperated in so it's a little different. Reviews are always welcome, except only constructive criticism please. If you're just going to hate, then please don't bother commenting. Thank you and enjoy :)

Son of Poseidon

Prologue:

Camp Half-Blood:

_They're not your family Luke. They don't truly care. _The voice rasped from the dark pit in front of him. He knew this dream, it's the same dream he has every night. He's standing in front of a dark pit, a hungry voice calling to him.

_Bring me Zeus' bolt and together we'll destroy the gods. _He could feel an invisible hand pulling him closer towards the pit, the force getting stronger against his back. It felt so real, this part always felt real. And then before he knew it, he was falling.

The scream startled her out of her sleep. _Luke_ she thought jumping out of bed as fast as she could. She ran from the Apollo cabin to see an assortment of kids in the field, all with puzzled looks on their faces. Much to her dismay, the Herme's cabin had no one around it and she could see Mr. D slowly walking down the hill. _It is Luke_ she sighed running towards the cabin while more kids came outside. She got to the cabin and banged on the wooden door, the rusted brass 11 falling on the ground next to her.  
>"Luke!" She yelled, starting to bang on the door. The door opened for her to see the Stoll twins. "Where is he?" she asked pushing through them.<br>"He's fine now Jill." Travis Stoll said pointing to the corner of the room where a limp figure was sitting on one of the many bunkbeds. Pulling her cardigan around her, she walked over to sit next to him. He kept his head in his hands as she awkwardly placed her hand on his shoulder.

They sat in silence, while the rest of the Herme's cabin went back to their beds and sleeping bags. _Say something Jillian _she thought to herself as she rubbed his shoulder. Before she could, Luke lifted his head and looked at her. His blue eyes stared into her hazel ones and she could tell he was struggling to find the words to say.

"How many were out there?" he sighed gesturing his head towards the door. He knew people would have heard the screaming, everybody does.

"Less people than usual.. so it's getting better babe. Lee followed me out and we were the only people from Apollo, and Beckondorf was outside, some of the Aphrodite girls and well, Annabeth was but when she saw me she just turned around and went back to her cabin..."  
>"Don't worry about Annabeth. I think she's just bothered because she's like my younger sister and there's never been another girl in my life more important than her." Luke said grabbing her hand and smiling. <em>Another fake smile...<em>

"I guess.." she sighed. "So tell me, what is in Luke Castellan's dreams that scares him every night?"  
>Luke's face dropped. "I don't want to talk about Jill, you know that."<p>

"I know Luke, I just don't -"  
>"Need to know Jillian. Just leave it, it doesn't matter." Before she could respond there was a knock on the door. Luke sighed as he got up to open the door and Mr. D entered.<br>"Who wants to tell me what's going on in this cabin?" He asked glancing over at Jillian sitting on the bed. "Ah, Miss Walker, I believe now would be the best time for you to return to the Apollo cabin. If I am correct, your cabin is on strawberry picking tomorrow."  
>"Right..." She said standing up from the bed. Stepping over the Herme's kids she smiled, "Wouldn't want to be tired when picking strawberries. It "covers our expenses" right?"<p>

"Exactly, so out. Besides I need to talk to Luke in private." Mr. D replied. She could tell he wanted to talk about the screaming, _maybe he'd tell Mr. D his dreams.. _

"Night Jill!" Luke called after her. She lifted her hand in response and turned back towards her solid gold cabin. _He doesn't need to tell me if something's bothering him.. it's not like I'm his girlfriend - oh wait. I am._

**Meanwhile..  
><strong>

New York:

_Tomorrow's the big day_!I thought, _finally a field trip so I can get away from Yancy_! My name is Percy Jackson and I'm sixteen years old I go to possibly the worst school in New York, which is Yancy Academy, and it's for troubled kids. Am I a troubled kid? Well if having ADHD and dyslexia makes you troubled, then yes, I am a troubled kid. If bad things happening to you all the time and you can't control it makes you a troubled kid, then I am definitely a troubled kid. But I am determined to make tomorrow a good day, free of mistakes and decently enjoyable. It's for my Latin class, which means Mr. Brunner is leading it and since he is the only teacher at Yancy who is cool, I am determined not to mess up. I mean, all we're doing is going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at ancient Greek and Roman stuff, how bad is anything going to be?


	2. Lying Tongues Are Clumsy

Chapter 1 – Lying Tongues Are Clumsy

"I'm going to kill her," I mumbled to my best friend Grover. That bitch Nancy Bobofit was throwing chunks of her sandwich around the bus, aka at Grover and I. Once again Grover was trying to calm me down.

"Don't even worry about it man. She's just immature, and besides I like peanut butter." I watched Grover dodge another piece of sandwich and I wanted to knock her out. "Don't do anything stupid Percy; you know she'll blame you for whatever goes down."

He was completely right. Though punching her out would make this trip so much more enjoyable, she knew I was on probation and I was screwed if anything bad happened on this trip. So of course, being typical Nancy, she's trying to make stuff happen. I made a promise to myself to not mess up today as the bus stopped. Except unfortunately for me, that was before the tour began.

"Mr. Jackson," Mr. Brunner said, "Can you tell me what this picture represents?"

I looked over at the stele and was relieved I actually recognized it. "That's Kronos eating his kids right?"

"Yes," he replied, obviously not satisfied with my simple answer. "And why did he do this...?"

"Well, Kronos was the king-titan and he didn't trust his kids, who were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them, right? But then his wife hid Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his dad into throwing up his brothers and sisters and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans, and the gods won."

I could hear Nancy mumbled to her friend behind me, "I'm sure we're actually going to use this in real life. Like on one of my job applications, no doubt it'll say "Can you please explain why Kronos ate his kids?"

"And Percy," Mr. Brunner said, "To answer Miss Bobofit's question, why is this important in real life?"

"I don't know sir." I responded.

"I see... Well half credit then I suppose." And with that, he sent us all off to eat our lunch with my hideous math teacher Mrs. Dodds.

"Why does he feel the need to push me so hard? It gets me angry because he expects me to better then everyone else though I'm the one with problems. And I get it, everyone here has problems but I can't help mine." I complained. "I just wish he'd lay off me sometimes, I mean - I'm not a genius."

We sat in silence; the only noise was the dumbass kids from my school behind us and the sound of Grover eating. I didn't have much of an appetite so luckily anything I didn't want, Grover ate for me. I was about to unwrap my sandwich when Nancy Bobofit poured her lunch all over Grover.

"Oops." She smirked, her ugly grin making me pissed.

I was so mad my mind went blank, and next thing I knew there was Nancy in the water fountain beside me. "PERCY PUSHED ME!" she screamed. _I don't remember pushing her_…

It was almost instantly that Mrs. Dodd's was right beside us.

"Now Honey," she began as she stared me down, "come with me."

I nodded and turned to glare at Nancy, who once again had that ugly grin across her face. I wanted to tell her she was dead later but I knew my punishment would be worse if I kept Ms. Dodds waiting. But, when I turned around, Mrs. Dodds was already at the museum entrance. _How did she get there so fast?_

I went up after her, though when I got inside the museum, she wasn't in the lobby. I slowly walked through the museum, looking down each hallway until I found her in the ancient Greek exhibit.

"Uhh, Mrs. Dodds?" I asked trying to get her attention. She ignored me and continued staring at a stele of the Greek gods and it was almost like she was growling at it.  
>"You've been causing us problems Percy Jackson. We are not fools. Confess and you will suffer less pain." <em>What is this lady talking about...<em> "Well?"

"What?" was all I could say before the one of the strangest thing I'd ever see happened right before my eyes.

Her eyes began to glow and her long, boney fingers turned into black talons. Her jacket turned into leathery wings as her teeth turned into yellow fangs. To make things weirder, before I could even get my head around what the hell was happening to my math teacher; Mr. Brunner rolled in with his wheelchair and threw a pen at me.

"What ho, Percy!" he shouted, the same way he did during his tournament days at school. I picked up the pen, and he disappeared as the new Mrs. Dodds lunged at me.

Once the pen touched my hand it changed into a large bronze sword. Stunned, I dropped it and myself down onto the floor as a screeching Mr. Dodds flew over me. I stood up, and as she turned to me agian I did the natural thing: swing the sword.

The blade sliced right through her shoulder and she instantly exploded into yellow powder. I could still hear her dying screech in my ears when I realized, I was alone. In the museum. With a ballpoint pen. _What just happened?_ I looked around me, only to find all the statues staring back at me. Awkwardly I stood up and through the pen in my pocket.

I went back outside to find a preppy blonde woman ushering people back onto the bus. When I asked Grover who it was, he nervously told me it was Mrs. Kerr, our math teacher for the last six months. I asked everyone about Mrs. Dodds but the answer was always the same; there was no Mrs. Dodds. _What is going on?_

As everyone else boarded the bus, I walked over to Mr. Brunner, still in his wheelchair reading a book, like nothing had even happened.

He looked up at me, somewhat distracted. "That would be my pen, Mr. Jackson. Please bring your own writing utensils for the future."

I gave him back his pen cautiously and asked him where Mrs. Dodds was. Once again I got the same answer; a weird look along with the question of who I was talking about.

"Mrs. Dodds," I said, "The math teacher?"

"Percy, there is no Mrs. Dodds on this trip. As far as I know, there has never been a Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy... are you feeling alright?"

There was no way I was imagining Mrs. Dodds, and if I was, I seriously needed to be medicated. I've asked everyone and nobody knows what I'm talking about. Whenever I throw Mrs. Dodds name in to see if they'll admit it, they look at me like a psycho. I almost believed that she never existed - almost. Grover was the only one who would slip up. He'd hesitate every time I asked him about Mrs. Dodds before he would tell me she never existed. Something _had_ happened, and I _wasn't_ imagining it. I was beginning to lose it. My grades slipped, I got in more fights with Nancy and her friends, and I was kicked out of almost every class, almost every day. Then, one day, I just lost it. I yelled at my English teacher when he asked me why I refused to study for his stupid tests. I was sent to the headmasters office and they emailed my mom telling her I wouldn't be allowed back next year.

Good riddance. I didn't need Yancy.

Even Grover and Mr. Brunner were acting weird. I even heard them talking about me when I went for extra help. After that conversation, I knew something was up. Grover was talking about how he couldn't fail his duties again and how he was worried about me since I was alone this summer. Mr. Brunner was saying how the Mist over everyone would convince me that what happened with Mrs. Dodds was just my imagination. They called her a Kindly One. _What was a Kindly One?_

And then there was the shadow. I made a noise, which of course they heard, and ran to the closet. But, when Mr. Brunner left the classroom his shadow wasn't in a wheelchair, and it looked like he was holding an archer's bow.

Fuck. I was so sick of people hiding stuff from me. I mean what type of danger was I in that got them so worried? And if it was this serious, shouldn't I know about it?

I was definitely thankful for the last day of school. Everyone was hiding stuff from me, and Mr. Brunner basically told me I couldn't handle Yancy in front of the whole class. The only thing I was going to miss about this school was the view from my room, and maybe Grover, but he was on the edge right now. Okay, that's a lie. I was definitely going to miss Grover. What was he going to do next year without me to protect him? He walked with crutches; he obviously couldn't do it himself.

I was dreading saying goodbye to him, but it turned out I didn't have to; he booked a ticket to Manhattan on the same Greyhound I was on. During the whole ride however, Grover was nervously glancing out the window and at the other passengers.

I couldn't help it, I had to ask. "Looking for Kindly Ones?"

"Wha- what do you mean?" Grover stuttered. _Ha I got him now!_

"I heard you and Mr. Brunner talking. What's the summer-solstice deadline? And don't even think about lying to me because you're a terrible liar Grover." I said. Might as well get it all out before he tries to defend himself.

He sighed and handed me a business card. "Just take this, okay? In case you need me."

It had fancy script, so I could barely read it with my dyslexia. I made out something like:

_Grover Underwood_

_Keeper_

_Half-Blood Hill_

_Long Island, New York_

_(800) 009 - 0009_

"What's Half-"

"Don't say it aloud!" Grover yelped. "It's just my summer address, you know in case you need me or something during the summer."

A summer address? Great, Grover was a rich kid like all the other kids at Yancy. I never expected him to be like that. Why was I going to need him anyways?

"Look Perc, I have to protect you." he blushed.

"Protect me from what? What are you not telling me Grover?"

"Look I just don't want this to be like the last time.. Promise me you'll let me walk you home when we get off the bus."

Clearly Grover was losing it, so I promised. But I'm not going to lie; once we got to the terminal, I ditched Grover.

He was starting to worry me, the rest of the bus ride, all he did was talk to himself about how this time can't be like the last time. I knew that whenever he gets upset, his bladder acts up, so when he went to the washroom, I took that as my time to bail. I got my luggage and hopped into the first cab I could find; I was going to go see me mom.


	3. Hold Tight, Wait Til the Party's Over

Chapter 2: Hold Tight, Wait Til the Party's Over

My mom is actually the best person in the world, and she's the perfect example that the best people have the worst luck. When my mom was five, her parents died in a plane crash and she was raised by her uncle, who didn't care about her at all. Then her uncle got cancer and she had to quit school to take care of him, and when he died he left her with no money, no family and no diploma. The best thing to ever happen to her was meeting my dad, and he left too. She doesn't like talking about him but he was apparently rich and important, and they weren't married. But then he left to sail across the ocean on some mission and didn't come back.

_He was lost at sea_, she always told me. _Never dead, just lost at sea_.

My mom worked odd jobs and took night classes to get her diploma; she never complained or got mad once but, I knew it was hard for her. Eventually she married Gabe Ugliano, the worst mistake of her life. He smelled of mold and sweat, and we never got along.

When I got home, he was in the living room playing poker with him friends. ESPN was on the television and beer cans were all over the floor. He didn't even look at me but I knew he knew I came in. I looked around and asked him where my mom was and he told me she was working and asked me for money. With his money he bought cigars and beer, and with mine he paid off his debts.

"I don't have any cash," I told him.

"Oh really? Well you took a taxi here from the bus station and you probably paid with a twenty. So that means the seven bucks in your pocket is mine kid." he scoffed.

"I hope you lose asshole." I said throwing the money on the table.

"We got your report card kid, I wouldn't act so smart." He yelled as I left the room. I slammed the door to my room, which apparently became Gabe's office. His muddy boots were on my windowsill and it reeked of cigars and his cologne. I thought of Mrs. Dodds, and I felt my legs go weak. I had the feeling that something was still looking for me.

"Percy?" I heard my mom call. She walked into my room and a smile lit up her face. "You've grown up so much!"

She sat down next to me and gave me a bag of candy. Whenever I came home she'd bring me home a bag of free samples from the candy shop she works at in Grand Central station. She wanted me to tell her everything I hadn't mentioned in my letters and she didn't mention once me getting expelled. She didn't even seem to care about it, all that matter was that I was doing alright.

From the other room I heard Gabe yell, "Sally, how 'bout that bean dip?"

God, I hate him. My mom deserved to be married to a great guy, not this ass. To make her happy, I tried to make my year at Yancy sound great and that the expulsion wasn't too bad because I lasted almost a whole year at the same school for once. I made great friends and my best class was Latin, and we went to the museum; which brought Mrs. Dodd's to my mind.

"What's wrong? Did something happen at the museum?" my mom asked.

"No." I lied. I felt bad lying but I knew I'd sound insane if I told her the truth.

"I have a surprise for you!" She smiled. That was the best part about my mom, she never pushed. "We're going to Montauk beach!"  
>"What? When? For how long?" I smiled. I loved Montauk, and my mom and I used to go every year before Gabe said there wasn't enough money.<br>"Once I get changed, for three days and three nights, same cabin." She smiled. Of course, Gabe ruined the moment, but my mom handled it. When she was ready, we got in Gabe's Camaro and my mom floored it.

My mom and I have a thing for blue food, so we sat around our fire with our blue corn chips, blue jellybeans, blue saltwater taffy and all the other samples she brought from work. My mom told me how when she got enough money she was going to quit the candy shop and write books.

Eventually, I got up the nerve to ask about my dad. He was always on my mind when we went to Montauk because this was where they met. She told me what she always told me; he was kind, tall, handsome and powerful but he was also gentle. She told me I have his green eyes and his black hair and if he could see me, he would be so proud.

Why would she say that? Who would be proud of a dyslexic, hyperactive boy with a D+ average?

"How old was I.. I mean, when he left?"  
>She stared at the fire. "Percy.. he was only with me for one summer. This beach and this cabin."<p>

"But he knew me as a baby right?" I asked.

"No." she sighed. "He knew I was _having_ a baby, but he never saw you. He had to leave before you were born."

_He never saw me.. _I thought, _but that's impossible_. Whenever I thought of my dad, I remembered a warm glow, even a smile. I always just assumed he knew me as a baby, though my mom never told me. Suddenly I felt angry. How could my dad just leave? My mom loved him and he left without even seeing me, his own son. He stuck us with smelly Gabe, and now I was going to get sent away again and make my mom deal with him.

"So, you're sending me to another boarding school next year aren't you?" I asked staring into the fire.

Pulling out a marshmallow she sighed, "I don't know honey, we'll have to do something.."  
>"Because you don't want me around?" I asked, but once I said it I regretted it. Her eyes started tearing up and she looked over at me.<p>

"Oh no Percy! That's not it at all! It's just; I _have_ to send you away. You don't realize how important you truly are and I thought at Yancy you'd finally be safe, but I guess not."

And there we go again. _Another_ person talking about my safety. What was out there that everyone was so scared about? And how did my mom know about it?

"I've tried to keep you as close to me as possible, but that was a mistake and there's only one place left where I know you'll be safe. It was a place your father wanted you to go... but I just can't do it."

"Another boarding school?" I asked.

"Not a school, a summer camp. But Percy I can't do it. I can't send you there knowing I may lose you forever."  
>"Forever? But if it's just a summer camp -" and then I stopped myself. Just seeing her expression made me realize if we keep talking about it, she was going to start crying.<p>

Camp Half-Blood:

The sun beamed down of their faces. _What a beautiful day_, Jillian thought to herself. She was tanning on the dock with Silena Beauregard, a daughter of Aphrodite, trying to relax before archery. She propped herself up on her shoulders and looked around.

"Looking for Luke?" Silena smiled to herself. Jillian looked down at her and laughed.

"Nope, keeping an eye out for Travis and Connor. This is an opportune moment for them to prank us."

Silena scoffed, "They can do whatever they want, but if they ruin my bathing suit, there won't be enough ambrosia in the camp to help them."

Jillian laughed and looked down at her. Silena may be little, but she didn't doubt that she was kidding. She may look like just a pretty girl with her perfectly curled black hair, Coco Chanel sunglasses and bedazzled pink monokini, but if the Stoll twins ruined one thing about her, she probably would actually kill them. She turned around again when she saw them standing behind a bush.

"I see them, but they're not even looking in this direction. It looks like they're staring down Beckondorf." she shrugged.

"Poor Charlie won't even see it coming." Silena sighed lifting up her sunglasses and glancing over.

"Charlie? I'm sorry, did I miss when you two became on a first-name basis?" Jillian asked.

"We're not on a first-name basis, I just used his actually name once, is that a bad thing?" Silena said getting defensive. Before Jillian could respond, the subject was changed.

"So how are you and Luke?"

"Oh, umm..." Jillian sighed. "We're decent I guess... sort of."

"Uh oh. What happened?" Silena said sitting up and looking over at Jillian.

"Nothing with us, it's just - I don't know what's wrong with him. He seems so distant some days, but then the next he acts like everything's perfect."

"Have you tried asking him what his deal is?" Silena asked pushing her sunglasses on her head. "Especially the dream thing. Don't get me wrong Jill, I love you and Luke, but the screaming in the middle of the night, waking up the whole camp thing, is _seriously_ ruining my beauty sleep."

"Well if you want to know what the dreams are about, ask Luke. He won't tell me. I've tried asking him what was wrong but he never wants to talk to me about it and he always puts it off, so I'm giving up trying to understand him."

Silena turned around and rolled her eyes. "Maybe it's because of her."

Jillian turned around, and saw Luke and Annabeth walking through the pavilion laughing. "Annabeth? No I highly doubt that's it."

"Who knows? Why tell you everything when he has Annabeth to talk to? It makes sense."

"Silena, if you're trying to get me to hate Annabeth, it's not working."

"Well it's not like she likes you! I mean clearly she's in love with Luke and resents you for being with him. I know love remember? Trust me, if you weren't with him and if she didn't give off the whole "sister" vibe, Luke would be all over that and she would not complain."

"Silena, stop." Jillian sighed. "At least he's talking to someone right?"

"Yeah, the competition." Silena chuckled.

"Alright we're done with this topic now. Why don't we go back to _Charlie_?" Jillian laughed. Silena laughed along and winked at her.

_The power of the Aphrodite girls_, Jillian thought. _They have everyone love them, but it's rare they fall in love themselves. How nice that would be. To not fall in love, and save the heart break. _And her thoughts ran back to Luke..

and Annabeth.


	4. Now Who Knows What's Real

Chapter 3: Now Who Knows What's Real

It was storming on Montauk beach and at the edge of the surf; a stunning white horse and beautiful golden eagle were fighting to the death. The eagle slashed at the horse and the horse kicked at the eagle. Below them, the ground shook and a voice chuckled beneath them, taunting them to fight more. I ran to stop the fight, but I was running in slow motion. I wouldn't make it in time to save them both. The eagle dove down at the horse, talons ready to kill. I screamed, _No!_

I awoke with a start. It really was storming, but it felt like a hurricane was coming. Lightning cracked in the sky, illuminating the cabin, and the waves pounded against the shore. When the thunder clapped, my mom awoke.

"Hurricane." she said, eyes widening. I knew that it was highly unlikely though, it was just a freak storm. Montauk never had hurricanes this early into summer. Over the sound of the wind, I heard screaming that gave me goosebumps and banging slowly followed. Someone was pounding on the door. I watched my mom run to the door and open it, only to see Grover standing in the doorway.

"I've been searching all night! What were you thinking?" He gasped. My mom turned to face me.

"What didn't you tell me about this school year?" she asked glancing between me and Grover.

"He's right behind me, you didn't tell her?" Grover yelled.

I couldn't even process what was happening at the moment. How did Grover get here in the middle of the night and why was he wearing no pants? Where were his legs and why was he half donkey?

"Percy! Tell me now!" My mother said sternly. I've never heard her talk like this before.

I rushed through the basics of the story with Mrs. Dodds and my mom's face grew pale. She grabbed her purse, threw a rain coat at me and told Grover and I to get in the car. Grover trotted to the car and I realized why he could run perfectly but limp when walking. I jumped in the car and instantly smelt wet barnyard animal. Grover sat in the backseat, glancing through the back window nervously. My mom got in the car and pounded her foot on the gas.

"So, how do you two know each other exactly?" I asked. I felt like I was losing my mind. I watched my math teacher transform into a hideous flying bat thing and my Latin teacher give me a pen sword and now my best friend was half donkey and my mom knew about it.

"Well I don't really know her; I mean we've never actually met... She just knew I was keeping an eye on you and making sure you were okay. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't pretending to be your friend, we _are_ friends Percy." Grover replied.

"And what are you exactly Grover?" I asked.

"It doesn't really matter Percy..."

"What? Of course it matters! My best friend from the waist down is a donkey!"

"GOAT!" he cried.

"What?"

"I am a _goat _from the waist down. NOT a donkey."

"I thought it didn't matter?" I asked.

"I know Satyrs who would run you down for that." He huffed. _Whoa whoa whoa.. Satyrs? Like all of Mr. Brunner's myths_? _Does that mean Mrs. Dodds was real too? _Before I could ask, the screaming noise from before return but now it sounded like more of a battle cry. Whatever was behind Grover was catching up to us.

"Percy," my mom said desperately. "There's no time to explain it all, we have to get you to safety now."  
>"Who's after me anyways?"<p>

"Oh no one really, just the Lord of Dead and a few of his minions." Grover retorted, still mad about the donkey/goat thing.

"The what?" I asked more confused than ever. This wasn't a dream because I could never dream up something like this, but I couldn't get my head around it. What was happening?

My mom made a sharp turn down a large narrow road. We passed a sign about picking strawberries and I asked where we were going.

"The summer camp I mentioned earlier." My mom answered. "The place your dad wanted you to go."

"But you didn't want me to.."

"Percy this is hard enough as it is please do not make this harder. You're in danger, I need you to understand that!"

Before I could respond, we swerved off the road and I saw what my mom was trying to avoid hitting, a brief shadow on the road behind us. I thought of Mrs. Dodds and how she planned on killing me at the museum that day. I thought of Mr. Brunner and the pen sword that he gave me. Suddenly there was a bright flash, a loud bang and our car exploded. I felt like I was being crushed and I could hear my mom calling my name. I tried to shake off the dazed feeling as Grover kicked in the windows.

I looked behind me and as the lightning stuck, I saw it. It was a huge man, bulky and hairy with a blanket over his head and his arms wide above him making them look like horns.

"Percy!" My mom cried when we got out of the car. "See that big tree? That's the property line! Make it past the tree and you'll be safe! You'll see a big farmhouse and when you see it run and don't look back. Yell for help and don't stop until you get there."

"Mom, you're coming with me!"

"He doesn't want us, he wants you Percy." she told me. "Besides, I can't cross the property line, I'm not like you."

I looked over at the thing again and I realized how terrifying it actually was. His hands were swinging at his sides, which meant the blanket he was carrying was actually his head and he actually had huge horns. He walked slowly towards us and we turned and ran.

He followed.

We ran as fast as we could and then we saw the big tree. Grover and I ran past it and I turned to see my mom, standing at right beside it. She looked frozen, like a statue and I ran back to see what was happening.

"Run Percy!" she yelled. "I can't go any farther!"

The monster charged at her, and she tried to side step away, but instead it grabbed her by the next and lifted her off her feet.

"MOM!" I screamed running towards her.

The monster roared, tightening his grip and my mom dissolved into a gold shimmer and vanished. He turned to look at me and I backed up against the tree. I figured I'd just jumped out of the way at the last minute, but it didn't work that way.

He bolted towards me, arms out to grab me no matter where I ran. Instead, and I don't know how, I kicked against his head and leaped onto his neck. I gripped my hands around one of his horns and pulled back as hard as I could to pull him back. _snap_

The bull-thing flung me off of his shoulders as he cried out in pain. I landed on my back and smashed my head off the rock, and when I lifted my head, I had a jagged horn in my hand.

The monster turned to me and charged. Without thinking, I rolled out of the way and as he ran by I shoved the horn under its ribcage. He cried in agony and changed into sand and disappeared, just like my mom.

I rolled over to see Grover running beside me and he picked me up under my arms.

The last thing I remember was falling down on a wooden porch with a bearded man and two blonde girls beside me talking to Grover.

"He must be the one." The one girl said. "He must be."

"Silence Annabeth." The bearded man said. "He's still conscious. Let's bring him inside."

Before I finally woke up, I think I woke up several times, each time different. I remember being spoon-fed what tasted like butter flavoured popcorn in pudding form. One of the blond girls smirked as she wiped drips of it off my chin. Her hair was light and curly and she had startling gray eyes. She asked me what would happen at the summer solstice and what was stolen. She told me we didn't have much time and then someone knocked on the door. She filled my mouth full of pudding and I passed out again.

The next time I woke up the girl was gone and a blonde surfer dude was standing in the corner. He had blue eyes - at least a dozen - on his cheeks and forehead and on the back of his hands.

When I woke up again, the other blonde girl was there. Seeing her again I realized her hair was more golden then a light blonde like the other girl and she had hazel eyes instead. She smiled at me and placed a straw in my mouth. When I sucked in, instead of apple juice like I expected, it was like drinking liquid chocolate chip cookies, but not just any cookies, they were my mom's homemade blue chocolate chip cookies. She pulled it away and told me not to drink anymore. Before I could ask why, she stood up and walked to the door while humming a soft melody.

By the time I finally came around, Grover was sitting in the chair beside the bed staring me down. There was no surfer guy with eyeballs everywhere and neither of the cute blond girls, just Grover.

"Hey man, how you feelin'?" he asked sitting up.

"Like I could kick Nancy Bobofit's ass." I smirked.

"Good, well Mr. D and Chiron are waiting."

I followed Grover around the porch, carrying the horn from the night before. Grover told me I killed the Minotaur, the half-bull half-man monster from Mr. Brunner's myths. I gripped onto the horn, thinking of my mom the entire time. Grover told me I was out for two days, and just struggled to believe that my mom had been dead for two days.

When we turned the corner I lost my breath. There were acres of land all leading up to beach where the water glistened about a mile in the distance. The land was spotted with what looked like Ancient Greek buildings. There was an amphitheatre, an open-air pavilion and an arena, and they were all new with their white marble columns glistening in the sunlight. In a sandpit, there were kids and satyrs playing volleyball and canoes gliding across the lake. There was also an archery range and a stable with horses that had wings. There were also a bunch of kids in orange camp shirts running around a series of cabins near the woods. It was the biggest camp I'd ever seen; and the most bizarre one.

At the edge of the porch, two men were sitting at a card table and the light blonde girl that fed me the pudding was leaning against the railing. The man facing me was short and pudgy with a big red nose, watery eyes and hair so black it was almost purple. He looked like a cherub from those old painting of the baby angels, except he was a cherub who was middle-aged and grew up in a trailer park. He was wearing a tiger print Hawaiian shirt and reminded me of one of Gabe's friends.

"That's Mr. D," Grover murmured to me. "He's the camp director, so be nice. The girl is Annabeth Chase. She's just a camper but she's been here for, well, ever. And you already know Chiron.."

"Mr. Brunner?" I asked.

My Latin teacher turned around and smiled at me.

"Ahh, Percy." He smiled, gesturing me over to him. He sat me just beside Mr. D, who turned to look at me, and sighed.

"Okay, I guess I might as well get it over with, welcome to Camp Half-Blood. Don't expect me to be happy you're here Peter."

"Percy," Chiron corrected, then turned to smile at me again. He looked up at the girl and gestured her over. "Annabeth, would you mind checking on a bunk for Percy? We'll be putting him in cabin eleven for now."

'Yea, sure Chiron." she smiled. Analyzing her, I realized she was my age, probably a little bit taller than me, and way more athletic. She looked like she was figuring out the best way to take me down and then she looked at the horn in my hand. I expected her to say something about how awesome I was for killing the Minotaur but instead she murmured something about how I drool in my sleep as she sprinted away.

"Do you work here Mr. Brunner?" I asked.

"I'm afraid Mr. Brunner was just a pseudonym. You may call me Chiron."

"Okay.." I said, even more confused. I turned to look at the director. "Mr. D? Does that stand for something?"

"Young man." Mr. D began. "Names are very powerful things, you don't go throwing them around."

Mr. Brunner-Chiron then went on to explain how he convinced my other Latin teacher to leave when Grover contacted him and told him I was special. I tried to remember my Latin teacher before Mr. Brunner and I remembered he was around for about a week. He told me how he contacted my mom and talked to her about me being ready for Camp Half-Blood and how she was afraid and wanted to keep me close to her. Mr. D murmured something about how that's what always happened and that's how most of them died, but I brushed that off and concentrated on Mr. Brunner.

"Percy, " Chiron began, "You know your friend Grover is a satyr and that you have killed the Minotaur. What you may not know is that great powers are at work in your life. Gods - the forces you know as the Greek gods - are very much alive."

I stared around the table and expected someone to tell me he was kidding, but instead Mr. D tallied his card game score and Grover ate a Diet Coke can. He continued to tell me about how the Gods we learned about were real and that they were in America.

The first question that popped into my mind was 'Who am I?' and when I asked Chiron, he told me that's what we still had to find out.. and everyone wanted to know the answer. He told me I was to live in cabin eleven for now and that I'd meet a lot of new friends and that there was going to be a bonfire tonight. When he got up out of the wheelchair, a white stallion came out instead. My Latin teacher was a centaur. He sighed in relief and smiled at me;

"What a relief. I'd been cooped up in there for so long, my fetlocks had fallen asleep. Now, come Percy. Let's meet the other campers."


	5. Step Out the Door and It Feels Like Rain

Chapter 4: Step Out The Door and It Feels Like Rain:

"Have you met the new kid yet?" Her brother, Lee Fletcher asked her. Jillian sighed; the new boy had been everyone's choice of topic ever since he arrived two days ago.

"Formally? No." She responded, "But I took care of him when he was passed out."

Lee laughed as he drew another arrow. Before starting each day, Lee always went to the archery range to shoot for a while and today Jillian went with him. Together, the two of them were the best archers at camp, but Jillian could never beat Lee.

"I feel sorry for the kid though," Lee sighed as his arrow hit the centre of the target. "He's been passed out for two days already and once he wakes up, everyone will be all over his ass because he killed the Minotaur."

"It's going to be like Thalia all over again..." Jillian replied shooting her arrow at the other target. _Not quite dead centre.. but close_, she thought.

"Yea, except this time the kid stayed alive, so everybody's going to be all over it."

Jillian sighed. Lee was right, everybody would be talking about this for days and the kid would be stuck in the middle of it. _What if he didn't even remember anything? _She thought. She sat down on the hill behind Lee and watched him shoot more arrows. They made small talk but it was more Lee concentrating on his archery and Jillian concentrating on the new kid.

"I'm just going to go, okay?" She called to him. Lee turned around and smiled.

"See you at the volleyball game." he said then went back to his archery.

Jillian got up and made her way to the Hermes cabin. _Maybe today will be a good day for Luke_, she sighed.

When she arrived at the cabin, she noticed Annabeth and Luke were the only ones there. They were both laughing and then Luke looked up and spotted her. He smiled and walked over to her.

"Hey babe." He said putting his arms around her. She hugged him back and gave him and quick kiss on the cheek before he let her go, and he turned back to Annabeth.

"Well, you're probably busy now.." She said looking to Jillian and then back to Luke. "Percy's up now so I was just checking on his bunk.."

"Annabeth, you don't have to leave." Luke smiled.

"No, I probably should." She said awkwardly, trying to avoid looking towards Jillian. "I'll probably be back anyways with Percy so I'll see you then."

_Percy? So that's his name_, Jillian thought as Annabeth pushed by them into the pavilion. Luke sighed as he watched her leave and then turned to look over at Jillian.

"Sorry about that." He said. "She's just confused I think."

"Confused about what?" Jillian replied. She remembered what Silena said about them and sighed. "She's clearly in love with you Luke. Everyone here can see it."  
>"No she's not, we were just in the middle of a conversation that's all."<br>"Oh I'm so sorry I interrupted you're conversation." Jillian replied sarcastically.  
>"Why are you getting mad?" Luke asked.<p>

"Do you tell Annabeth what your dreams are about?"  
>"What?"<p>

"You're nightmares Luke. Remember? The things that keep you up screaming at night and refuse to tell me."

"Jill, I'm not fighting you on this. The whole reason I avoid talking about it is because I don't want to fight with you, so please, drop it."

"Fine, share with Annabeth then. I'll talk to you later." Jillian sighed leaving the cabin. She walked over to the docks and placed her feet in the water.

"You know," Silena said from behind her. "Sometimes it's not about trying to fix something that's broken."

As Jillian stared over the lake, Silena sat down beside her. Throwing her arm around her she sighed, "Maybe it's about starting over and finding something better."

"I know, it's just – yeah never mind, I don't know." Jillian responded. _Not one bit_.

"Hey, I saw Beckondorf heading over to the volleyball pit, and I know Lee's there. Let's go over" Silena smiled. Jillian smiled in return and took Silena's outstretched hand. "See! That's the spirit champ!" she smirked. The two laughed and made their way to the volleyball pit.

I had to admit, this place was really cool. I was having a lot of trouble believing that I was half-god, but I tried to not let that get in the way of the tour. I mean, really, if I was half-god wouldn't I have some awesome power? No, Instead I'm considered a delinquent and I have ADHD. One thing was for sure though; the campers were really bad at pretending not to stare me down. As we passed the volleyball pit, several students nudged each other and pointed my way. The only one not looking my way, I noticed, was the other cute blonde girl that helped me. She just stood there, volleying the ball up and down, her golden hair tied up and her hazel eyes concentrated on the ball and nothing more. The others however, continued to stare and whisper, completely disregarding the game in general. I wasn't normally shy but it made me uncomfortable the way they were staring. It was as if they doubted me as much as I did.

We stopped in front of a huge forest and Chiron smiled.

"If you feel like training, the woods are stocked. Do you have a shield and sword?"

"Can't say I do.. and stocked with what?"

"We'll stop by the armory later then, and you'll see my boy. We have Capture the Flag every Friday night by the way." _Capture the Flag? Well, at least one thing was normal about this camp_.

He showed me the amphitheatre where they held sing-a-longs, the archery range, the canoeing lake, the stables and the javelin range. He also showed me the arena where the sword and spear fights were held. Before I could ask what kind of camp had spear fights, he took me to the mess hall, a giant pavilion framed with white columns and filled with dozen of picnic tables. Finally, he showed me the cabins. Except for the brass numbers above the door, none of the cabins looked alike. Number nine looked like a tiny factory, with little smokestacks, while number four had tomato veins and a grass roof and number seven was made of pure gold. They all surrounded a huge firepit, where a little girl about nine tended to the flames. At the head of the field, cabins one and two looked almost abandoned.

"They look empty."

"Several of the cabins are," Chiron responded. "No one ever stays in one or two. Those are the cabins for Zeus and Hera's children."

Before I could ask more, Chiron ushered me along. Cabin three reminded me of the beach at Montauk, and just like one and two, it was completely empty. Most of the other cabins were crowded with different campers. Number five was bright red lined with barb wire, while number eight was a bright silver, gleaming in the sun. We reached cabin eleven, the only cabin that looked like an actual camp cabin. It was worn down, with the brown paint peeling off. The girl from before was there, what was it? Annabeth? Yeah, Annabeth. She was sitting on the ground, reading a book and she looked up and smiled at Chiron.

"Annabeth dear, I have archery class at noon. Would you mind continuing our tour?" Chiron asked.

"Yes sir." She replied. Chiron gestured me towards the doorway and galloped away.

I stood in the doorway, staring at all of the kids. They all sized me up, it was fine though, I knew this routine. I walked in slowly and a boy a little older than me came forward.

"Alright guys, let's all welcome Percy. You can have the spot right over there on the floor." This guy seemed cool. He was about nineteen, tall and muscular, with sandy brown hair. The only thing off about him though, was the scar from his right eye to his jaw. It looked almost like a knife slash. "I'm Luke by the way."

"He'll be your counsellor for now." Annabeth said.

"For now?" I asked.

"Right now, you're undetermined." Luke explained. "So until since you haven't been claimed, you come here. Cabin eleven takes all the newcomers, naturally, since our dad is Hermes, god of travellers.

"Alright, so how long am I here for?"

"Good question. Until you get determined I suppose." Luke said.

"How long does that take?"

The campers all laughed.

Annabeth sighed and grabbed my arm. "Come on."

She dragged me outside and I could still hear the cabin laughing at me.

"You've got to do better than that Jackson." She said rolling her eyes.

"What are you talking about?"

"I can't believe I thought you were the one." She murmured.

"What's your problem?" I said getting angry now. "All I know is that I killed some bull guy –"

"Don't talk like that! Do you know how many kids wish they had your chance?"

Before I could respond, I noticed the other blonde girl staring at us. "Having a problem?" she called over. Annabeth rolled her eyes as the girl jogged over. She also murmured something under her breath, though I couldn't make it out.

"Hi, Percy right?" she smiled. A nodded and smiled back as Annabeth scoffed. Ignoring it, the girl turned back to me. "I'm Jillian, nice to meet you."

"Yeah, you too." I responded.

"Jillian, I'm in the middle of showing him around, so, we should probably get back to that." Annabeth stated. You could tell by the tone of her voice that Jillian wasn't her favourite person.

"Well," Jillian replied, glancing over to smile at me. "Why don't you continue your conversation with Luke, and I'll show Percy around."

Annabeth turned to over to me. "Dinner's at seven thirty, just follow your cabin." And with that she left.

"Sorry 'bout that." Jillian smiled apologetically. "I figured I'd save you from the attitude you were getting."

"Yeah.. thanks. I don't know what her proble3m was" I sighed glancing back, Annabeth was gone though.

"Yeah, she gets like that trust me."

"What's the deal with you two?" I asked.

"Oh you know, just girl stuff." Jillian sighed and smiled. "So tell me, where did the tour lead off?"

Then a husky voice called, "Oh look, a newbie!"

I looked over. A big, mean looking girl was walking towards us. Three other girls followed behind, all wearing camouflage jackets.

"Clarisse," Jillian sighed. "Shouldn't you be in the arena practicing for Friday? You're going to need it."

"We will crush you." Clarisse responded putting emphasis on each word. She glanced over at me. "Who's this?"

"This Percy Jackson." Jillian said. "Percy, this is Clarisse, daughter of Ares."

"As in the god of war? Explains the smell."

"Listen newbie, time for you initiation ceremony." Clarisse growled, gripping onto my arm.

As I kicked and punched, she dragged me into the girls' bathroom. I'd been in plenty of fights, but this girl had hands like iron. I could hear all of her friends laughing behind me as she pushed me towards one of the toilets. I could see Jillian watching from the corner, a genuine look of concern on her face. Clarisse pushed me down and started shoving my head toward the toilet bowl. I struggled to push my head back up as I stared at the scummy water.

Then suddenly something happened. I heard the plumbing rumble and then the water shot out of the toilet, over my head and right into Clarisse's face. I turned around to see her lying on the floor, water still spraying at her. Then, the other toilets exploded too, and the showers too, spraying down Clarisse and her friends.

As soon as they were out the door the water stopped. The entire bathroom was flooded, and I looked to the corner to see Jillian staring at me, soaking wet. I stood up and realized I was the only thing in the washroom that was dry.

"What did you – how did you …" Jillian said looking around the washroom.

"I don't know."

We walked to the door and looked outside to see that Clarisse and her friends were sprawled in the mud, other campers staring down at them. Before Clarisse could come at me again, her friends dragged her towards cabin five. I turned to Jillian who was still staring at me.

"What?" I asked. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking I want you on my team for capture the flag" she smiled.


	6. We Can Be Heroes, Just For One Day

Chapter 5 –

"So, I have a question." I said watching Jillian ring out her shirt. "When exactly do I get to go home?

Jillian laughed. "Percy, this is your home now. This is the only place where people like us are actually safe."

"Oh nice, so I'm at a camp for the mentally disturbed..."

"Oh cheer up!" Jillian grinned, shoving me slightly. "There are tonnes of kids, even adults who are like us. And for those who aren't, I'm sure there are kids out there who would love to be a demi-god."

"Demi-god? I mean seriously, I'm not half-god." I scoffed.

"Your dad's not dead Percy. He's one of the Olympians. Look at the stories. What did the gods do best? Come down from Olympus and fall in love with mortals."

"Okay, so if I am a demi-god, then who's my dad?"

"I honestly don't know." Jillian shrugged. "Until you're claimed, no one will."

"How long did it take for you to get claimed?" I asked.

"About a week." She replied. "My father's Apollo, god of light, music, poetry, prophecy and archery."

"And who is Annabeth's father?" I asked. I tried to imagine which of the gods could have been her dad, when Jillian laughed.

"Her dad, I think is a teacher or something. Her mom though, is Athena, goddess of wisdom."

I sighed. "So that's it then? I'm stuck here forever?"

"Depends. Some kids only stay for the summer, others stay all year round. I suppose it depends on the parent and the child. I mean, some kids don't have a chance when they leave the camp since monsters get them, but there are demi-gods who have managed. Some are even famous."

"So, I can't just leave whenever then?"

"You could," Jillian began. "Though, it'd be suicide. Once you know you're a half-blood, the monsters can track you more easily. So really, unless you're granted a quest, then you might as well make the most out of your summer."

"A quest?"

"I wouldn't get your hopes up. Ever since the last time, quests don't happen quite often."

I could tell by the look that crossed her face that the last quest didn't end as well as they expected. We walked in silence until she brought me back to cabin eleven.

"And back to where you started." Jillian smiled turning towards me. "If you need anything, just ask Luke, or if he's not around, I'm right next door."

"Yeah, thanks." I replied as she walked back towards the gleaming gold cabin.

When I walked in to cabin eleven, everyone was talking and joking around as they waited for dinner. I walked over to my corner and sat down, taking in my surroundings. When I looked around, I noticed a lot of the campers looked alike: sharp noses, upturned eyebrows, mischievous smiles. As Luke walked over, I noticed he had the same features, minus the long scar on his right cheek.

"Found you a sleeping bag." He smiled.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Tough day?" he asked sitting down beside me.

"I don't belong here. I don't even believe in the gods."

Luke laughed. "We all start that way. But once you start believing in them? It doesn't get any easier."

"So your dad is Hermes?" I asked.

I realized once I said it, I shouldn't have. His face grew serious and he pulled out his switchblade. At first I thought he was going to kill me, until he brought it down and scraped the mud off of his sandal. "Yeah. Hermes. The wing-footed messenger. God of messengers, medicine, travelers, merchants, thieves. Anyone who uses the roads. That's why you're here right now, Hermes isn't picky who he sponsors."

"Have you ever met him?" I asked.

"Once."

I waited for him to continue, but instead he looked over and smiled. "Don't worry Percy. The people here are good people, and we all take care of each other."

He stood up and walked over to the front of the cabin. As a horn blew in the distant, Luke yelled for us to fall in. We all lined up outside, along with campers from all the other cabins, except for the first three. I noticed no one came from cabin eight as well, the glowing silver cabin. As we reached the pavilion, there seemed to be at least a hundred campers gathering in. Inside, a central fire burned while each cabin had their own table.

I looked around for Grover when I saw him sitting with Chiron and Mr. D. I spotted Annabeth at table six, with a group of boys and girl that looked just like her, as well as Jillian, who was sitting at the Apollo table with a tanned athletic looking group. Chiron stood up and pounded one of his hooves on the table. "To the gods!" He said as he raised his glass.

"To the gods!" The campers responded, lifting their glasses as well.

Nymphs came around with platters of food: grapes, apples, strawberries, cheese, bread and barbecued meat. I stared at my empty glass and Luke told me just to tell it what I wanted, and that would appear.

"Blue Cherry Coke." I smiled as the glass filled up with a dark blue liquid. I took a sip. _Perfect_.

A piled my plate, but before I could stuff my face I noticed everyone picking up their plates and walking towards the fire.

"Come on, burnt offering for the gods. They like the smell." Luke told me.

"You're joking." I laughed, though his face told me differently. As we walked to the fire Luke whispered 'Hermes' and then scooped a portion of his food into the fire. I stared into the fire and pushed some of the brisket and cheese in silently. _Alright dad, who are you?_

When everyone was back in their seats, Mr. D stood up and cleared his throat.

"Hello brats. Our activities director Chiron tells me the next match of capture the flag is Friday. Cabin five currently holds the laurels."

An ugly cheer rose from the Ares table behind me.

"Yes, yes, congratulations. Personally I could care less, but congratulations." Mr. D continued, "Also, I should tell you that we have a new camper. Peter Johnson."

Chiron murmered something in his ear.

"Ah yes - Percy Jackson. That's right. Hurrah. Now run along to your silly little campfire,"

Everyone cheered and headed to the amphitheatre, where Apollo's cabin led a sing-along. I couldn't help but watch Jillian's smiling face as her and her brother Lee led a song about Ares and Aphrodite. If someone told me she was a daughter of Aphrodite, I wouldn't be shocked. She had a natural beauty that you could tell make-up would never be needed. I couldn't help but feel bad thinking all of these things when I was sitting right before her boyfriend, who you could tell was thinking the same thing.

We ate s'mores and cracked jokes, and I felt like I could actually enjoy Camp Half-Blood.

Though that feeling was short lived.

I got into the routine of doing things every day that I wasn't good at. In the mornings Annabeth taught me Ancient Greek, and for the afternoon I went through the outdoor activities, looking for something to do.

Jillian tried to teach me archery, though it didn't take long to learn I'm not very good with a bow and arrow.

Foot racing? No.

Wrestling? Uh, no. Clarisse kindly taught me I wasn't very good at that.

The only thing I was good at was canoeing, which wasn't that heroic.

You could tell all of the senior campers were trying to discover who my father was, though it was clear I didn't make it easy. I wasn't as strong as the Ares kids, or good at archery like Apollo's kids. I didn't have Hephaestus' metal working skills either, or Dionysus' skill with vine plants. Luke told me I could be a child of Hermes, but you could tell that he was just trying to make me feel better.

On the Thursday, my third day at Camp Half-Blood, I had my first sword fighting lesson. Luke instructed us, and I did okay, though I couldn't find a sword that felt right. Luke offered to be my partner as well, and it's safe to say he kicked my ass. Exhausted I poured the ice water on my head, and instantly I felt better and was full of energy. Luke gathered us around for a demonstration, and lucky me, I was the dummy.

"This is difficult," he stressed. "So no laughing at Percy." He showed the move in slow motion, and sure enough the sword fell out of my hands. "Now, in real time"

He lunged at me, and somehow I kept him from getting his shot. The attacks kept coming and coming, but I deflected them all. I tried the disarming maneuver.

Luke's sword rattled against the stones, while my blade was inches away from his chest. As everyone went silent, I dropped my sword.

"Uh, sorry."

Luke just stared at me, until he broke into a smile. "Sorry? Percy that was great! Show me again!"

This time, there was no contest. Luke kicked my ass again.

'I wonder Percy, what do you think you could do with a balanced sword?" Luke smiled, staring me down with interest.


End file.
